Peace deal in Colombia

U.S. hails peace deal in Colombia

By Nahal Toosi

President Barack Obama and U.S. lawmakers are hailing a historic peace deal reached between the government of Colombia and the leftist rebels of the FARC movement. The agreement comes after significant U.S. investment in Colombia, and, if approved by voters, would end the longest-running armed conflict in the Americas.

Colombian officials and rebel leaders announced they had reached a deal on Wednesday in Havana, Cuba, after four years of difficult negotiations to which the U.S. sent a special envoy. The Marxist-inspired FARC rebels' insurgency dates back to 1964, and the conflict since has cost 220,000 lives.

Over the past 16 years, the U.S. has invested roughly $10 billion to help the Colombian government strengthen its economy and its security, contributing to the country's efforts to force the insurgents to the table. The U.S. initiative, known as Plan Colombia, has something relatively rare — deep and broad bipartisan support in Washington.

Obama wants to boost that aid effort with additional funds in the coming years, tranforming Plan Colombia to Peace Colombia (Paz Colombia in Spanish). The U.S. president called his Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos, to congratulate him on Wednesday as the negotiations were wrapping up.

Obama "recognized this historic day as a critical juncture in what will be a long process to fully implement a just and lasting peace agreement that can advance security and prosperity for the Colombian people," the White House said.

The peace deal must still be voted on by the Colombian people. Santos' predecessor, former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, is leading the charge against the agreement, arguing that it is too lenient toward the rebels, many of whom have committed numerous crimes, including involvement in the drug trade.

Congress is on recess, but some lawmakers issued statements congratulating Colombians.

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) urged Congress to "commit to strong support of our ally during this critical juncture in Colombian history." Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) noted that "at the heart of this process and essential to its success has been the Colombian people themselves who never stopped believing that peace was possible."

Several countries were involved in helping the peace deal along, but the U.S. was considered an especially key partner.

The U.S. special envoy, Bernard Aronson, told POLITICO that he acted as a sort of troubleshooter when the talks hit snags. His role was also unusual because it brought him face-to-face with leaders of an insurgent movement that the U.S. has officially designated as a terrorist organization.

Aronson stressed that many different people and parties played a role in the four years of talks that culminated in this week's agreement. A number of thorny issues, such as a agreeing to a cease-fire and the disarmament of the rebels, were settled along the way.

"Even though the negotiators have been on opposite sides, there’s a kind of trust and respect that grows up after you’ve been at this sort of thing for this many years," Aronson said.